An internal rift was witnessed within Bangladesh's newly formed National Citizens Party (NCP) after the decision to forge an alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami for the upcoming Bangladesh general elections. Several top leaders of the party, mostly women, have resigned in protest over the decision.
As many as 30 leaders of the party issued a joint letter opposing the decision of going with the Jamaat-e-Islami.
The dispute deepened on Sunday when Mahfuz Alam, a key figure behind last year’s violent protests, publicly distanced himself from the NCP leadership. In a Facebook post, Alam said he did not support the decision taken by the party.
"Under the prevailing circumstances, my respect, affection and friendship for my July comrades will not be erased.But I am not becoming part of this NCP," Alam wrote.
"It is not true that I was given a proposal from the Jamaat-NCP alliance but keeping my long standing position is more important than becoming a Jamaat-NCP alliance (candidate) from any Dhaka constituency," he added.
Alam was one of the main leaders of the 2024 protest known as the July Uprising, which led to the fall of the Hasina government. That campaign was organised under the banner of Students Against Discrimination (SAD).
Earlier this year, a large section of the SAD platform broke away to form the National Citizens Party. The new party emerged in February with the backing of interim government chief Muhammad Yunus.
Mahfuz Alam: The brain behind July 2024 uprising
Last year, Yunus introduced Alam to former US president Bill Clinton during a visit to the United States, presenting him as the "brain behind the whole revolution" of July 2024. At the time, Yunus described the movement as carefully planned and credited Alam with shaping its direction.
Notably, mass street protests led by students turned violent and led to the fall of then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government on August 5, 2024.
Following the change in power, the interim administration took strong action against the Awami League. Earlier this year, it issued an executive order dissolving the party and barring it from taking part in the next general election, which is scheduled for February 12, 2026.
Alam is widely regarded as an NCP "guru", even as he keeps a low public profile and holds no clear official post within the party.
